A Kratt Caught
by Plurple9
Summary: Chris and Martin Kratt spend some time playing out in the savanna when a harmless game quickly becomes a terrifying nightmare for Chris. Will Martin be able to help Chris get back to the way things used to be? My first ever fanfiction! Rated T for mild blood.
1. Chapter 1

A Kratt Caught

It was another day on the open savanna for the Wild Kratts crew and the team members were doing their own things in and around the Tortuga HQ. Aviva was tinkering with a super secret project that was to be revealed to the rest of the crew later in the week when it was finally complete. She hadn't given them any details as to what it did but she had assured them that it would be important to future creature adventures. Koki was at her computer working out some kinks in the Tortuga's processing system. There had been a few bugs in the solar panel deployment programming that needed to be fixed before the mechanical turtle headquarters ran out of power and needed recharging. Jimmy Z was sitting in his hover chair working on completing a level of the brand new video game he had received as a gift from one of his various relatives. Meanwhile, the Kratt brothers, Martin and Chris, were outside the turtle mouth entrance trying to decide what they should do to pass the time.

"Alright, Chris, what should we do today? The savanna is wide open with possibilities and I'm raring to go!" Martin shouted. Chris chuckled and then responded almost as enthusiastically as his older brother.

"Well we could play hide-and-go-seek with our creature powers!" Chris suggested. Martin's face lit up with an excited grin and nodded his head. The tall grass and various small bushes would make great hiding spots for their game.

"That's a great idea! I'll seek first and you go hide," he said as he slipped a cheetah power disk into his creature power suit. He gripped a tuft of cheetah fur he had stored in his pocket and raised his other free hand up to the large button in the center of his suit.

"Activate creature power!" Martin exclaimed with enthusiasm. A bright blue flash emitted from the button and then spread to the rest of the suit engulfing his body in a blue glow. His outline shifted as his form changed. When the light faded he was left standing with the blue body of a cheetah-human hybrid.

"The cheetah's great eyesight and dark patches to dim the glaring sun will help me to find you out in the tall grasses!" Martin said matter-of-factually. Chris's grin widened as he took another power disk from his own pocket and slipped it into his own suit as he imitated what his brother had done. A flash of green light similar to Martin's blue one lit up from Chris's suit and he was left standing there with the body of a Thompson's Gazelle. A look of confusion crossed Martin's face, not unnoticed by Chris. Chris decided to explain and save Martin the trouble of guessing why he chose a gazelle, which was not know for camouflage or stealth.

"With gazelle power I will put as much distance as I can between us before I change into an animal that's better at hiding, like a caracal." he explained. Martin seemed to understand and the smile came back.

"Alright, I'll start counting while you hide!" Martin turned around and covered his eyes with his paws and began counting.

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading my first ever fanfiction! Hope you like it and remember to leave me a review. I would appreciate any tips and critiques you can give me! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chris only had half a minute before his big brother would come chasing after him. Chris began to sprint away as fast as he could over small rocks and grass as he searched for a good spot to take cover and change disks. After two thirds of his time was up he spotted a small patch of bushes and tall grass that would easily hide him and headed for them.

"Alright time to hunker down and change sui-AAAAAAAAHHH!" Chris was cut off as something snagged his neck and sent the rest of his body flying ahead of him. His neck was caught in something and was being squeezed tightly. He could feel the sting of a thin metal wire tightening itself around his neck, squeezing his throat and cutting off his air supply. _Oh no! A snare trap! A poacher must have set it up for some animal to get caught in. But now it's caught me!_ His gazelle mind raced and he started to panic. He thrashed around trying to break free but it only made the snare tighten. His power suit had dulled his rational human mind, not allowing him to realize that his struggles were putting him in more danger.

The biting metal started to eat through the power suit's tough armor and worked its way down closer and closer to his human flesh. More wire loops had been set up all around and were beginning to catch his legs and hold them down but he continued to thrash with all his might. The adrenaline kept him going but he was quickly beginning to grow tired. He didn't know what to do.

Martin had finished counting and was racing across the savanna at super cheetah speed. He looked every which way for any sign of his green clad little brother unaware of the danger Chris had gotten himself into. Several minutes went by and he found no sign of Chris anywhere. He was beginning to tire out and had to stop for the third time due to the cheetah's low stamina. He panted as he leaned up against a thin tree and looked out across the plains. The sun was high in the sky which made the air hot and a glare cast out across the grassy savanna. He was about to start his search again when he heard a strangled cry and a loud thrashing noise about one hundred feet to his left. Curiosity had gotten the better of him and he sprinted towards the sound. When he arrived he gasped at what he saw. Chris was laying on the ground, blood dripping from his neck and a wild, glossy-eyed expression of panic printed on his face. He was muttering something under his breath and breathing pretty heavily due to the pressure on his throat. After the initial shock had worn off, Martin grabbed his creature pod and dialed the rest of his crew. Then Aviva's face came up on the screen through the static.

"Hey MK! What's up?" She questioned with a smile. That smile instantly vanished when she heard the fear and anguish in Martin's voice.

"Aviva! Chris is hurt bad! He got caught in a trap while we were playing hide-and-go-seek and he needs help right away!" Martin pleaded.

"We're on it. We'll be there as soon as we can with medical supplies and a stretcher. I've got your coordinates. Be there soon!" she replied in a hurry and quickly cut the connection. Martin turned his attention back to his brother. Chris didn't look so good. Blood had begun to pool around his head where the wire had cut into his neck and the red liquid was now spilling out. Fortunately there was still enough metal from the creature power suit to keep the wire from cutting into him too deeply but it was still going to be a close call. Martin knelt down next to Chris and put his hand on his left foreleg to try and alert him to Martin's presence. He had believed that his brother would calm down if he knew that someone was there to help him but instead Chris let out a loud and pained wail that sounded more animal than human. He began to thrash around again causing the blood to sling around even more. Martin started calling his name trying to get him to calm down.

"Chris it's me! Martin! Your brother!" Chris calmed down enough that Martin could place his hands on him without causing another frantic attempt at getting free. Chris's muttering had become slightly louder but his glassy stare had remained.

"Martin... martin help me... I need help... martin please..." Chris plead. Martin's heart clenched. His brother was calling to him in his stupor, completely unaware of his big brother's presence by his side.

"It's okay, Chris, I've got you," he said quietly even though he knew he wasn't being heard. He held his little brother closer to himself and stroked his head reassuringly with one hand while using his other hand to reach into his backpack. When he pulled his hand out there was a pair of wire cutters firmly in his grasp. He carefully clipped the wire around Chris's neck first before cutting away the pieces that bound his legs and torso so that he didn't continue to hurt himself any further. After he had removed all the pieces and the immediate danger had been taken care of, Chris snapped out of his state of panic and looked at his brother actually seeing him for the first time.

"Martin," he whispered. Tears formed in his eyes and he leaned closer to his big brother. He was still panting quite heavily but seemed to calm down a bit more. Martin held Chris gently but tightened his hug to comfort his brother.

"I'm here Chris. I've got you now. It's okay. You're safe." Martin and Chris sat there in each others arms until the rest of the crew arrived in the Createrra.


	3. Chapter 3

Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy gasped at the state they saw the brothers in when they arrived in the Createrra. Martin's fur was matted in Chris's blood and the dirt that his brother had kicked up in his struggle. Chris was still lying in a pool of his own blood looking tired and pale. Aviva rushed up to them and checked the younger Kratt's vital signs. After she had looked him over she made her diagnosis.

"We'll have to move him back to the Tortuga before I can deactivate the suit. Koki, help me get him on the stretcher. Jimmy, get me an IV drip and some painkillers. I think he's gonna be fine we just have to hurry." she said hurriedly. The two nodded and went to do what they were instructed. Koki and Aviva pulled the now unconscious Chris from Martin's grasp and set him on the white stretcher then carried him over to the back of the Createrra. Jimmy readied an IV bag and held it up high while Aviva inserted the needle into Chris's arm. Martin could only stare blankly as the others worked on his injured brother.

"Come on MK. Lets head back," Aviva called to Martin after a few minutes of securing the younger Kratt to the vehicle. He snapped his attention away from Chris and up to Aviva's gaze. It took him a second to register what she had said but when it finally clicked he got up and walked over to the passenger seat and climbed in. Koki drove them back while Aviva and Jimmy stayed in the back with Chris. During the entire ride back to the Tortuga, Martin stared at his paws in his lap. Blood still stuck heavily to them turning the usually cheerful blue into a dark and sickening shade of red. When they arrived Martin didn't move. He stayed in the seat and continued to stare at his bloodstained claws. Aviva and Jimmy gave Martin a sad look as they brought Chris up the turtle mouth ramp and into the Tortuga. Koki turned towards Martin with a grim look on her face.

"How could this happen?" Martin questioned sadly.

"It wasn't your fault, Martin," She said in hopes that it would take the guilt away from his already heavy heart. "It was poachers who put up those traps, not you."

"Yeah but I should have been there to make sure he was safe!" he retorted.

"Martin, Chris is a grown man. You won't always be there to look after him. There was no way you could have known that it was gonna happen!" she responded trying to convince him that he shouldn't hold any guilt for what had happened.

"I know but the look on his face when I found him! He was scared and completely hysterical. Almost like he was a trapped. . . animal," he trailed off when the realization hit him. Chris had been a trapped animal. He had experienced the pain and fear of a wild animal that had been wrongfully captured by poachers. He had been subjected to the kind of torture the brothers had dedicated their lives to prevent. And Martin hadn't been there to protect him.

"He shouldn't have been forced to go through that. I should have told him that we should have played a different game. One where I could have kept a closer eye on him."

"And how do you know it wouldn't have turned out the same way?" Koki questioned, "It could have been you in that trap and him sitting here right now while Aviva works on you in the Tortuga. You don't know if it would have been any different or maybe even worse so there's no use in trying find a way to change it. It's over now. You have to look at how you can help Chris here and now." Martin looked at her with astonishment. She was right. There was no sense in thinking about what could have happened when Chris needed him right then and there.

"You're right Koki. I have to help Chris however I can," he finally agreed, "But how do I do that?"

"Well we can start by seeing if Aviva could use any help with getting Chris stabilized," she suggested. She then got up from her seat and made her way up to the entrance.

"Yeah! Lets go see how he's doing," Martin said while getting up to follow her. He was nervous. It had been about ten minutes since Aviva had rushed his injured brother into the turtle ship and anything could have happened in that amount of time. Martin was fearing the worst. Aviva could have been wrong and Chris could be dying at that very moment. His heart beat faster and faster as they walked up the ramp and into the main room.


	4. Chapter 4

As the automatic door opened for them, they could see Chris lying on the center table, his creature power suit had been removed and Aviva was working on stitching up the deep gouges that ran horizontally across his neck where the wire had cut through the suit and reached his flesh. The guilt and dread came rushing back but he kept calm. His little brother needed him and freaking out now was not gonna help the situation. Aviva looked back at the two as they walked in and gave them a sad but relieved smile.

"He's gonna be fine. I gave him some pain medicine and got the bleeding to stop. There are a few minor cuts on his arms and legs but nothing too severe. All I have to do now is stitch up his neck and apply some antibacterial ointment and bandages but he's still gonna be out for awhile. Fortunately for him the damage isn't too deep or he would be in some major trouble," she explained, the relief in her voice very audible.

"I'll help you," Koki said as she grabbed the ointment and bandages. Martin grabbed a hover chair and pulled it up next to Chris and took his hand.

"Don't worry Chris. I'm right here for ya." Martin said to his unconscious brother. Aviva and Koki exchanged somber glances and then went back to fixing up the younger Kratt. They couldn't imagine the pain that Martin must be feeling right now. They wanted so badly to know what had happened but had silently agreed to not bother him about it. Jimmy Z walked in from the piloting room and took a seat opposite of Martin. He sat and watched as Koki and Aviva finished applying the bandages and began putting the medical supplies away. Despite Koki's advice, Martin couldn't stop replaying the images in his head. A haunted look stuck to his face as he stared at the bandages around his baby brother's neck. Jimmy piped up and asked Martin a question, breaking the silence.

"Do you want to talk about it, Martin?" Both Koki and Aviva looked back at them from the cabinet staring at Martin intently, waiting for his answer even though they weren't so keen on the idea of bothering him with the painful memories and making him relive the experience so soon. Martin sighed and began his story starting from the beginning all the while never taking his eyes off of his brother. He knew that talking about it wouldn't help his own mind much, but it would relieve the rest of the team's curiosity.

When Martin finished the other three crew members were staring at the two brothers with somber expressions. With every gruesome detail that Martin provided the three crew mates had a pretty good idea of what had happened there in the bushes. They looked at Chris with pity and guilt. He had been put through such a traumatic experience. They wondered if he would be the same fun loving Chris they always knew. Martin wasn't so sure.


	5. Chapter 5

Hours passed and everyone had gone to bed for the night to get some rest. Except for Martin. He stayed in his hover chair by Chris's side in case his little brother woke up. He hadn't moved since finishing his story earlier. Martin's eyelids were starting to droop and his head started to nod when he felt something tighten on his hand. He looked up and saw Chris's body tense up. Then Chris's eyes fluttered open and he rolled his head towards Martin, meeting his older brother's gaze. Martin's eyes lit up when he saw that Chris was awake and leapt from his chair.

"Chris you're awake! How do you feel? Are you in pain?" Chris looked at him confused for a second and then remembered what happened. He remembered being in the gazelle suit and getting trapped in the poacher's snare trap. Slight panic rushed to him and he bolted upright on the table into a sitting position but then he realized that he wasn't back at the bushes anymore. He looked back up at Martin. Then he looked down at Martin's suit. He was still in his cheetah suit and the red splotches of blood still clung to his fur. Chris's eyes widened and Martin realized what he was looking at. Fear shot through The blue cheetah and he hit his deactivation button quickly so as to spare his younger brother from looking at his own blood any longer. Chris went to say something but stopped when his throat started to burn and he reached a hand up to his neck and felt the rough fabric of the bandages. He started to panic again and looked at his brother questioningly. Martin could see the fear in his eyes and went to calm him down.

"It's okay Chris. You're alright. We got you out of the snare and Aviva says you're gonna be just fine. You'll be sore for awhile but you'll be good as new in no time," Martin said with a reassuring smile to convince his brother that he was gonna be okay. This was what he needed to do. He had to be there to help his brother through this. He had to reassure Chris that everything would be okay and that he would be there to help shoulder the mental burden this was undoubtedly going to leave on his younger brother. Chris seemed to calm down at his brother's soothing tone and let himself relax. He was out of danger and he had his older brother there to keep him safe.

Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy walked in from their bedrooms due to being woken up by Martin's voice. When they saw Chris sitting up and awake they ran to him and caught him in a big group hug. What was supposed to be a nice heartwarming moment quickly turned fearful as Chris panicked and tore himself from the others. He backed up placing one hand against the wall to stabilize himself. He was breathing deeply and heavily while clutching his chest with his other hand. He stared at the others with fear in his eyes and then looked at himself as fear changed to a startled look. Had he really just panicked over his friends hugging him? In the moment that they had seized him he started to feel trapped, almost claustrophobic as he wasn't able to move. The fear and hysteria rushed back to him as if he was back in the trap at the bush.

The other four looked at him with shock and puzzlement as they all tried to figure out what just happened. Then it dawned on them what was going on. Chris was afraid of being held. Martin slowly stepped closer to his brother and Chris tried to force himself to calm down. Martin placed his hand on Chris's arm but not enough to be holding him in place. He didn't grip him or get any closer than arms length. He wanted Chris to know that he was there but that he wasn't going to get too close. Chris looked up at his brother with pleading eyes and in a croaking voice said to Martin.

"Help me."


	6. Chapter 6

Chris's recovery was a long and hard process. Due to the solar panel deployment processing still needing to be fixed, they were stuck there anyway, which would give Chris plenty of time to heal. Aviva would check his wounds every few days and was happy to report that there was no sign of infection and the cuts were healing quickly.

He was quite gloomy for the first few days of his recovery and spent most of his time roaming aimlessly around the Tortuga with a distant look on his face having nothing to do to pass the time. The crew was careful not to touch Chris to much or to get to close to him but that didn't prevent the occasional accident. One day the Wild Kratts crew were moving around bags and boxes of various pieces of equipment. It was their scheduled cleaning day and they were taking inventory as everything was organized. Jimmy Z was walking across the upper most balcony with a large sack in his arms.

"Alright, Jimmy, set that bag in the corner over there," Aviva instructed as she pointed the orange haired pilot in the right direction.

"On it Aviva!" he said as he hefted the bag onto his shoulder. He had taken three steps before he tripped over his own feet. With a yelp he tumbled forward and dropped the bag over the edge right on top of an unsuspecting Chris who was carrying a small box to put it back in storage.

"Chris!" Martin yelled as he watched his younger brother get hit and trapped under the bag. Chris froze in place. His eyes went wide and fear started to creep up his spine. He couldn't move as the fear paralyzed him. Martin rushed over to his brother and rolled the bag off of him. Chris still didn't move. The other three crew members rushed over to check on Chris.

"Chris, are you okay?" Koki asked as she made her way over to him.

"Oh man, Chris I am so sorry!" Jimmy apologized. A shiver ran down Chris's back as he slowly got up off of the ground. The stress was evident on his face but he did his best to hold back the panic attack that was trying to force its way out.

"I'm fine guys I just need to get some air," he replied as he hurried out of the Tortuga. The four of them watched as he left and then looked back at each other when he was out of sight. They shared a look of concern before Martin left to follow his brother. When he got outside he found Chris sitting under a tree with his arms wrapped around his legs and his head between his knees. As he got closer he could hear his brother's labored breathing and could see Chris trembling. Martin sat down next to him and started to rub circles on his back. They sat there for a few minutes until Chris had finally calmed down enough to look up at Martin.

"You handled this better than the last accident. This is a pretty big improvement compared to that meltdown you had," Martin said to him with a sad smile. Chris's face formed a scowl and he put his chin on his arms which were still wrapped around his knees.

"When is this gonna stop? When am I finally gonna stop jumping at every shadow and freaking out when my friends try to get close to me? I can't take it anymore!" Chris yelled and placed his palms over his eyes, gripping his head with his fingers, "Martin, what do I do?"

"Chris you have to give yourself time. Nothing is going to change overnight. You just have to stay strong and hold on to that Wild Kratt spirit!" he exclaimed with as much enthusiasm as he could. He was hoping that his excitement would be contagious and Chris would become excited too like he usually did. However, this only served to make Chris a bit irritated.

"Easy for you to say. You aren't the one who feels like everything is trying to kill you," he said bitterly. Chris had removed his hands from his face and placed them back around his knees. Martin was a bit startled at what Chris had said and looked at him with a sad expression. This was going to be harder than he thought. He took a short moment to think of what he was going to say. He looked over at Chris after a few seconds.

"Hey, no matter what happens or how you feel, we're going to be here for you. We'll make sure you're back to your old self in no time," Martin said softly. Chris knew Martin meant what he said but his mind wouldn't let him take any comfort in his brother's promise.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy had been standing next to the mouth of the turtle ship and were watching the brothers' exchange of words. They wanted so badly to help him, to hug him and tell him that everything was alright but they knew that for Chris's sake they needed to give him time and plenty of space.


	7. Chapter 7

Over the next few weeks, Chris was gradually getting used to physical contact again with Martin's help. The older brother would occasionally place his hand on Chris's shoulder or just sit with him outside to watch the sunset. Martin started with small and simple touches and gradually worked up to bigger movements and closer contact. Chris quickly went from moping around to getting back to the brothers' usual romping around the Tortuga.

After the few weeks had come and gone Chris was finally able to take the bandages off and they were able to go back to creature adventuring. Aviva had repaired the damage to Chris's Creature Power Suit and made sure that it was safe to use on their adventures. For the first few missions they played it safe and did small creature rescues that didn't involve tight spaces or objects that could potentially trap the brothers.

However, Chris had also developed a fear of poachers due to the snare being a trap set up by poachers and so had to sit out on any creature rescuing that involved them. Martin had to step up and manage a job that was best suited for two Kratt brothers. It was hard but he was getting through the missions. All that really mattered was that the captured animals were released and Chris wasn't put in anymore danger.

That is until one day while the brothers were out watching wild klipspringer grazing out in the savanna, the brothers noticed a group of poachers chasing and trapping the little deer-like creatures to take away and sell for various purposes. Martin was ready to spring into action but Chris was a little hesitant to follow. Noticing Chris's lack of confidence he decided to go it alone.

"You stay here and watch my back, okay? I'll handle this," he said cheerfully, ready to take on the challenge of saving the klipspringer. Chris nodded and crept as close as he could through the grass without getting close enough to be seen. The younger Kratt was nervous and kept an eye out for any poachers that might sneak up on him and catch him again. From his hiding spot in the grass he had a good view of Martin who had made his way towards the cages the animals were being kept in. After reaching them he began picking the locks with his peregrine falcon talons. Five of the eight klipspringers had been set free when one of the poachers was alerted to his presence and managed to take Martin down and tie him up. The other three poachers that were there saw the commotion and advanced on the now captured Martin. One man raised a club up to strike at the blue Kratt's head, giving him a deathblow that would surely put him down permanently. However back in the grasses about forty feet away Chris saw what was about to happen.

"NO!" Chris shouted and ran towards the poachers despite all of his fears of being caught again. Rage boiled inside of him and he cried out a feral snarl. The poachers took their attention off of Martin to see Chris charging at them. He tackled one of the poachers and knocked him into a second man. Martin took the opportunity to jump up onto his feet and kick the club out of the man's hands. He backed up to a sharp piece of metal that jutted out of one of the cages and cut one of the ropes that bound him. The rope coil fell away allowing Martin to fight back more easily. Though four to two wasn't good odds, the brothers had creature powers on their side. Martin used his sharp talons and flying abilities to scratch and pick up the poachers so he could toss them away. Chris had slipped a lion power disk into his suit and, using a lion's claw he had found, transformed into a lion and chased the other poachers off. The brothers ran to each other after the battle was over. Martin hugged his little brother tightly and twirled him around.

"Chris you did it!" he yelled excitedly, "You got over your fear!"

"Yeah I did!" he replied with delighted realization, "Lets get back to the Tortuga and tell the others!"

"Alright but first we have to free the rest of these klipspringers!" Martin said. After freeing the remaining three animals the two brothers raced back to the Tortuga HQ so they could tell the others the good news and give them all a great big group hug.

**The End**


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